Historical information

This collection of eight photos was most likely taken in circa 1982-1983, featuring the removal of AUTOMAP 1’s Gerber Optical Line Following (OLF) scanner Sub-System from Air Survey Squadron’s Building 16, in preparation for the installation of the replacement AUTOMAP 2 system. Introduced in 1975, the AUTOMAP 1 computer assisted cartography and mapping system was the first computer assisted cartography and mapping system utilised by the Survey Corps and the first system used by Australian mapping organisations. The Gerber OLF scanner was mainly used to digitise contours on a map sheet separation with individual lines at least 0.125 mm wide and no closer than 0.25 mm to the next line. The operator initiated the OLF by placing its light sensitive digitizing head on a contour line. The OLF could digitise up to 50 mm per second on straight lines and complete an average density contour sheet in approximately 8 hours. The operator occasionally intervened to restart the OLF to allow it to continue if it failed to correctly discriminate the contours. The history of the AUTOMAP 1 system is covered in more detail with additional historic photographs, in pages 116-118 of Valerie Lovejoy’s book 'Mapmakers of Fortuna – A history of the Army Survey Regiment’ ISBN: 0-646-42120-4. See items 6122.20P, 6183.19P, and 6184.20P for additional photographs of AUTOMAP 1’s Gerber OLF in operation.

Physical description

This is a set of eight photographs of the removal of AUTOMAP 1’s Gerber Optical Line Following (OLF) scanner Sub-System from Air Survey Squadron’s Building 16, at the Army Survey Regiment at Fortuna, Bendigo, circa 1982-1983. The photographs are on 35mm negative film and scanned at 96 dpi. They are part of the Army Survey Regiment’s Collection.
.1) to .8) - Photo, black & white, c1982-1983, - Gerber Optical Line Follow (OLF) removal from Air Survey Squadron’s Building 16.

Inscriptions & markings

.1P to .8P – There are no annotations